Last fall at a PhotoFair show I bought this vintage Super Rokkor 45/2.8 for Leica Screw Mount rangefinder. In reality this was designed for a Minolta Rangefinder camera that utilized the LTM mount as did the Canon’s at the time. I was not real familiar with this lens but I did some research and found that Minolta had 3 versions of the 45/2.8 and they also had 50/2 which was bigger and heavier but not “better.” These early lenses were branded under the name “Chiyoko” prior to using the Minolta name on lenses. I have mine adapted to Leica M mount so I can use it on my EOS R or my EOS M5 with a cool helicoil adapter.
These old LTM lenses have the disadvantage of only focusing to 3.3 feet (1m) Many companies are now offering adapters equipped with a helicoil to allow for close up focusing with these older lenses. This particular lens is very small even for LTM. It is almost a pancake design and it looks odd mounted to my full size EOS-R. I also shoot it on my much smaller EOS M5. It is better scaled to this lens’ small size. On that camera with the 1.6x crop the lens shoots like a 72/2.8 and works nicely for portrait work.
The lens is beautifully made and optically quite nice. You can find these in very good shape for around $200 give or take. I mentioned 3 versions above and primarily these were tweaks to the mechanical design not the optical formula. This lens is a bit of a hybrid design it is not a Tessar like the fixed lens Minoltas of the era. The final version was just the version II with a thin optical coating. All three are the same formula of a cemented triplet up front and two elements behind the aperture.
The lens has a bit of a cult following and I’m seriously thinking about joining the cult. As long as I don’t have to chant in a circle of candles, I’m in. This seventy year old lens is razor sharp and has rather pleasing bokeh. It is also tiny, I mean super tiny. It isn’t as light-weight as its size would suggest because it is built to last and that is likely why it still focuses smoothly and operates like it did when Harry Truman was President.
The results of this lens are rather pleasing. Some say it is better suited to black and white, but it renders color in modern cameras very well. Those who follow this blog know, I like to get up real close and isolate my subjects. This lens at f/2.8 struggles at mid range focus to isolate the subject, but does a decent job at the minimum focus distance of 3.3 feet (1m). I used it with a helicoil adapter that allowed me to focus inside of 1 foot (30cm) and really blow out the background. This is one of those lenses that never got its due respect what with all the Leica this, Leica that. I however have owned nearly every Leica standard lens in this era (late 1940s-early 50s) and this Super Rokkor is as good or better than any of them. You need a Summicron to best this lens and the Summicron wasn’t introduced until the mid-50s. Leica designed the Summicron largely in response to superior optics coming out of Japan like these Rokkors and Canon’s famed Serenar 50/1.8. You’ll pay an extra $100 for a Leica Elmar 50/2.8 and will NOT get images this good from it. Hmm, I wonder what kind of chants they require in the Chiyoko cult, I don’t have to climb Mount Fuji, do I? I’m too old for that 😉
Betsy relaxing in the sun, EOS-R, Super Rokkor 45/2.8 and helicoil adapter. 1/800 sec @ f/2.8 ISO 400
Wifey’s bird ornament in the yard. EOS-R, Super Rokkor 45/2.8 and helicoil adapter. 1/125 sec @ f/2.8 ISO 400
Wifey’s bird house feeder, EOS-R, Super Rokkor 45/2.8 and helicoil adapter. 1/640 sec @ f/2.8 ISO 400
EOS M5, Super Rokkor 45/2.8 and M adapter. 1/400 sec @ f/2.8 ISO 400 (I missed focus just a bit behind the eye, my bad)
'Couv' Camera 